Educational Classroom Plays

Plays from Fairy Tales re-creates the enchantment of the children's story hour, with 12 humorous and adventurous dramatizations of 18 classic fairy tales from around the world: Senegal, Germany, Finland, Java, Spain, Slovakia, Hawaii, Russia, Japan, Norway, England, Wales, Papua, Native North America, Congo, Italy, Greece and Ireland.

 

Plays from Fairy Tales brings timeless legends of epic fantasy to the home and classroom stage!

 

1. Aruman, Hero of Java. In this hero tale from Java, young Aruman must prove himself worthy to succeed his father as chief; armed with a flying shoes and cloak, he receives help to fight pirates and headless dwarves from Alligator, Black Bird, Tigers and a mysterious Old Woman.

 

2. A Cosmic Bouquet. Three ancient tales from Hawaii (The Fisherman Who Caught the Sun), Japan (The Moon Maiden) and the Wasco Indians of Oregon (Coyote Places the Stars) offer theories about the origin of the very sun, moon and stars we see from our own earthly vantage point.

 

3. East of the Sun, West of the Moon. In this tale from Norway, the peasant girl Paulina outsmarts a coven of evil witches to win the hand of her Prince held captive as a White Bear by the spell of Long-Nose the Witch.

 

4. The Great Flying Ship of Ivan the Impossible. For simple Ivan to marry the Tsar of Russia’s daughter, he must accomplish seemingly impossible tasks in a short time — or lose his head! Not a problem, when you have friends like Sharp Ear, Swift Foot, Hawk Eye, Hay Maker and Wood Cutter in your corner!

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5. The Lost Spear. In this tale from Senegal, West Africa, a peasant boy seeking the hand of his bride must pass a very severe “son-in-law test” — descending into the Land of the Dead to retrieve a lost spear! Fortunately, Zandilli is aided by a host of animal friends (Vulture, Frog, Butterfly, Water Lilies, Fireflies, Lizards) and the Moon Goddess herself. Features African-style choral ensemble songs: Call of the Griot, Zandilli’s Walking Song, Sapphire Lake, Dance of the Fireflies.

 

6. The Magic Ring. Loyal Dog and Shrewd Cat help rescue the impetuous boy Gigi as he seeks adventure and romance throughout Italy. Of course, even a kitten or puppy could have suspected Gigi would have a problem with his lady love. . . her very name, “Maliarda”, is Italian for “enchantress” or “witch”!

 

7. The Six Swans. A classic German tale from the first edition of fairy tales ever published by The Brothers Grimm. In order to save her her six brothers who have been turned into swans, Lili, the Daughter of a King bewitched by his faithless Queen, must never speak or laugh for six years. When Lili meets her own Good Prince, how can she tell him of her love without condemning her brothers to an eternity as water fowl?

 

8. Squeak and Maiow! These three tales from Wales (The Cat and the Mouse), the Congo (The Cat and the Rat) and ancient Greece (The Lion and the Mouse) explore the longstanding relationship — usually antagonistic but always full of wry humor — between the feline and rodent families.

 

9. Three Tales for Thrippence. These three tales from Spain (The Three Wishes), Papua (The Three Sisters) and England (The Three Sillies) are filled with all sorts of threes and threesomes, from three magical wishes to a three-penny pig. See the Fairy Fortunata, Gata the Cat, Perro the Dog and the Three Silliest People on Earth!

 

10. The Twelve Months. The plucky heroine of this Slovakian tale, a variant of the popular Cinderella legend, must contend with not only an evil step-mother but an equally nasty step-sister! Like the best fairy tales, The Twelve Months teaches an important lesson — polite people eventually succeed in life and live happily ever after; rude people spend their lives wandering in the cold.

 

11. Una and the Goblin King. This Irish tale is part of a long tradition of dragon-slayer legends, except that the hero this time is a heroine and the dragon is a goblin! Una’s sister Maeve disappears after walking “widdershins” around the castle; with her trusty shillelagh and a magic phrase, Una journeys to the heart of Elfland to fight sorcerers and the Goblin King himself.

 

12. Young Olli and the Trolls. What do you do when your neighbors invite you to supper, and you’re the main course? In this humorous tale from Finland, Olli and his brothers Illi and Ulli outwit a family of people-eating trolls, while gaining a magic horse and plenty of troll treasure.